Schneider Electric's Richard Korthauer talks with Green Builder Media's Sara Gutterman about the company's net-zero and ESG roadmap, from a smart factory recognized by the World Economic Forum to supplier decarbonization targets. He also explains how Schneider Home helps homeowners automate solar, storage and appliance loads around utility rate structures.
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Sara Gutterman: Schneider Electric has been a leader in corporate sustainability for many years. So talk about the evolution of your sustainability strategy over time.
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Richard Korthauer: Your products are designed for efficiency in mind. From our spark panels that allow homeowners to better monitor their energy consumption, to better manage how their energy is being consumed, all the way to how we help control energy in microgrids. We help companies take advantage of a more sustainable power sources and again, to reduce their overall operating cost. And really, the best thing and something that we're very proud of.
00:00:49:26 - 00:01:09:29
Richard Korthauer: We took a 60 year old plant and outfitted it with all our smart factory components, and have transformed it to be selected as the Lighthouse World Economic Forum. As one of the plants recognized in the world for sustainability and efficiency.
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Sara Gutterman: Tell me about the Zero Carbon Project.
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Richard Korthauer: Yeah, we recognize that zero carbon is very important. And, you know, as a company, you know, we can contain and manage our behaviors and how we perform against zero carbon. But at the same time, we recognize that we want to build a community and all our vendors that supply products, most a thousand vendors, you know, we've enlisted and that we're spending time with them about how they can update their facilities to become zero carbon as well.
00:01:45:10 - 00:01:53:02
Richard Korthauer: We have a target of a 50% reduction of supplier operations emissions by 2025.
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Sara Gutterman: So how is Schneider Electric addressing the energy paradox? You know, balancing the need to reduce energy related carbon emissions while supporting electrification.
00:02:03:28 - 00:02:33:15
Richard Korthauer: You know, in the residential space, you know, it really comes down to understanding how homeowners use their energy when they use the energy. You know, it could mean, you know, what appliances are their biggest energy consumers. And, you know, when they're using these appliances, can we help them understand that at certain times it may be advantageous, you know, to run them, you know, versus maybe not.
00:02:33:18 - 00:03:13:23
Richard Korthauer: It gets down to even identifying random loads that are maybe not essential to what's going on in the home, but can be costing homeowners money, which they will very easily say, okay, I'm more than happy to go ahead and shut that off or, you know, decide to use it at a different time. It also means, you know, adding in devices like solar or batteries and really using solar and storage via batteries, you know, at the optimum time, you know, there's utilities that have different charges for when you're using electricity.
00:03:13:24 - 00:03:25:24
Richard Korthauer: So again, helping the homeowner regulate their rate structure so that they're using, you know, their appliances at a time when it's the most optimal for them.
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Sara Gutterman: So what is the sustainability and ESG roadmap ahead look like for Schneider Electric? Are there any specific metrics or commitments that you'd like to call out?
00:03:36:21 - 00:04:10:02
Richard Korthauer: We announced Schneider Home, and Schneider Home is a comprehensive system. It allows the homeowner to be able to, you know, manage their power source. It automates the management so that the consumer does not have to sit there and say, okay, I need to do this at this time. It will create the optimal schedule and balance. You know, power coming in from the, you know, the utility or power coming in from their battery that's being, you know, created by the solar.
00:04:10:02 - 00:04:39:14
Richard Korthauer: And then at the same time, it also introduces kind of a new lifestyle, the convenience of, you know, being able to turn lights on and off, knowing that events have occurred at your home, you know, indication of of potentially the AC assign, you know, a the garage door opener has gone up. So it's really a new experience about sustainability, about resiliency.
00:04:39:14 - 00:04:57:29
Richard Korthauer: And then, you know, what's probably the best is the software. The app itself takes control and you know it will update you, but it will deliver kind of like the optimal, I'll say, home experience when it comes to usage and then comfort and convenience.